Sheila: Book Reviewer,writer and great lover of books...sharing her wonderful finds of fantastic authors,their books, writing tips, and also other things of interest to her and those following the blog. Thanks for visiting! Follow today and don't miss out on news of great new books and giveaways!

Product Details

FTC, FYI: I received a review e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Description for Righting a Wrong Seven years ago, Cambri Blaine fled her small hometown of Bridger, Colorado after her senior year ended in a fiasco. Only Jace Sutton knew the real reason why—that she was a spineless coward. Now, seven years later, her father's been in an accident and needs help, and Cambr has no choice but to return home. So with trepidation, she takes a leave of absence from the landscape architecture firm where she works and boards a plane, hoping against hope that Jace is no longer around and that the past can stay where it belongs—in the past.
If only life worked that way.
Jace never expected to see Cambri again. After she’d led him on, bruised his heart, and left town without a backward glance, he was forced to pick up the pieces and try not to hate her for it. Eventually, he put it behind him and moved on, creating a life for himself in his beloved hometown. But now that Cambri is back and looking more beautiful and sophisticated than ever, some of those old feelings resurface, and Jake instinctively knows, for the sake of his heart, that he needs to avoid her at all costs.
If only it were that easy.

Excerpt

She rested her hand on his arm, but when he tensed, she pulled it
away. “University Park and Charlotte are beautiful cities with so much
to offer, but Bridger isn’t without its charms. Coming back here is like
entering a different world.”

“An archaic world.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” said Cambri. “People here know
and care about each other. When you walk down the street, you pass
friends instead of strangers. The air is cleaner, the pace slower, and
the world calmer. I’m pretty sure the sky is even bluer.”

Jace slung his bag over her shoulder and leveled her a hard look.
“Actions speak louder than words, Cambri. Or are you forgetting you left
for bluer skies six years ago?”

Her gaze held steady. “Sometimes it takes seeing other skies to know which is bluer.”

One eye brow quirked as he considered her words. “What are you
saying? That you’ve had your fill of city life and want to move back?”

Cambri looked away. Was she
saying that? No, of course not. That would be crazy. She was happy in
Charlotte. “All I’m saying is that I appreciate Bridger a lot more than I
used to.”

He let out a low chuckle that didn’t sound even close to humorous.
“Like I said, actions speak louder than words.” He started to walk past
her, then paused, looking beyond her to the back door. “You talk of
passing friends instead of strangers, but in my experience, friends are
really just strangers disguised as familiar faces.” His arm brushed
against her shoulder as he left, and an uncomfortable, almost palpable,
sensation spread down her arm and landed with a thud in her gut.

My Review:

It's always a pleasure to read something written by Rachael Anderson. She writes such great characters, even the grumpy Harvey, father of main character Cambri. Once again this story has characters that we have previously met in the Ripple Effect Romance that we read previously. Readers get a glance at Drew and Eden and what's happening in their life now.

I was happy to get to know Jace better in this book. I really liked him in the last book and wanted to see him find his own love after losing Eden to Drew. I like the realistic scenario of how Jace and Cambri reacted to each other after not seeing each other for six years. There were hurt feelings on both sides after Cambri's hasty departure from Bridger and after a first kiss with Jace. It was fun to see how they rebuilt their friendship and their love. It was also VERY satisfying to see Cambri rebuild her relationship with her estranged father. It took awhile for them to reconnect, but it felt so good when they did.

There are so many things to love about Righting a Wrong, the likable characters, the great dialogue, the build up to the romance and the happy ending. I'm realizing that this series of clean romances will be kept in my favorite's list. I haven't read one yet that I don't like. I'm all ready to go back and read them again. If you haven't read this series yet, go back to the first and read them in the right order. Then you too can see the Ripple Effects that we have in each others lives. Kudos to all of the authors of this series. I can't wait to read the next three in the series.

Meet:Author Rachael Anderson A USA Today bestselling author, Rachael Anderson is the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.

Product Details

Paperback: 356 pages

Publisher: Shadow Mountain (April 1, 2014)

Language: English

Series: Culinary Mystery

ISBN-10: 1609077873

FTC, FYI: I Received a review hard-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Description for Fortune CookieSadie Hoffmiller has always liked things to be just so. A place for everything and everything in its place. Order over chaos. And of all things Sadie should be able to control, her own wedding is at the top of the list.
With the big day just three weeks away, Sadie is busily adding the final touches to her wedding plans but the arrival of a mysterious letter from San Francisco chan ges everything. The only person Sadie knows in San Francisco is her older sister, Wendy, whom she hasn’t seen since their mother’s funeral nearly fifteen years ago.
Sadie has faced off against murderers and criminals in recent years, yet the possibility of reconnecting with her sister is both overwhelming and frightening. Sadie soon discovers, however, that the letter is just the beginning when Wendy’s world turns out to be a place of unanswered questions, twisted truths, and more than one person with a motive for murder.
The more Sadie digs into her sister’s past, the more she places her own future at risk.

My Review:Fortune Cookie is another fabulous addition to the Sadie Hoffmiller culinary mystery books. This one is set in San Francisco and is more personal to Sadie. She is there to pack up her older, estranged sister's apartment. Of course there is a mystery involved around her death. Sadie and Pete, three weeks before their upcoming wedding, go to help and investigate. There are also some struggles between our future newlyweds as old memories surface for them about their former spouses. This made me quite anxious wondering if there would be a wedding.

This series has proven itself to be one of my favorites and Sadie is one of my all-time favorite characters! As I've said before, these books could be stand alone reads, but I strongly recommend reading them in the order they were written. It will be a more satisfying experience. This series has one more book to go, Wedding Cake, and I'll be so sad to see it end. But, as the beauty of books go, you can always go and dive back into the mysteries of Sadie Hoffmiller again and again. Fortune Cookie is right up there with one of my favorites and the ending is a nail-biter that will leave you breathlessly reading until the end!

Meet:Author Josi S. Kilpack Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and accredits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Her novel, Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense. Lemon Tart, the first book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series was a finalist in 2009. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah with her husband, children and super-cute cat.

Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 4/30/14
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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I LOVE this cover! I'm also loving the title and this new series. It is a "Wedding Planner"mystery. I can't wait to read it, but I'm excited to share the cover with you today. Don't forget to enter the giveaway down below!

About DIAMOND RINGS ARE DEADLY THINGS:

Adrielle Pyper knows how to plan a wedding, and she
is especially good at pleasing bridezillas. But when her biggest client and
best friend is murdered just three days before the wedding, Adri’s world falls
apart. She moves to the resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho, and starts from
scratch. Thanks to Adri’s impeccable taste and unique style, she lands two
celebrity clients, and her business seems headed for success--that is, until
someone vandalizes the specialty wedding dresses she imported from overseas.
The race is on to uncover a secret hidden within the yards of satin and lace
before Adri becomes the next victim. With a delightful blend of mystery,
toe-curling kisses, humor, and spine-tingling thrills, Diamond Rings
are Deadly Things is a romantic suspense novel that will keep you
turning pages long into the night.

Rachelle J.
Christensen is a stay-at-home mom of four cute kids. She has an amazing
husband, three cats, and five chickens. Rachelle was born and raised in the
small farming town of Rupert, Idaho which is adjacent to the setting in her
latest mystery Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things due out this July. Her
new website www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.compartners
with the characters from the novel to bring readers an interactive look into
the mystery of crafting and wedding planning.

Rachelle graduated cum laude from Utah State University with
a degree in psychology and a music minor. She enjoys singing and songwriting,
playing the piano, running, motivational speaking, and of course reading.

Rachelle’s first novel, Wrong Number was awarded
Outstanding Book of the Year from the League of Utah Writers and was also a
2010 Whitney Finalist. She is also the author of Caller ID, a
nonfiction book Lost Children: Coping with Miscarriage for Latter Day
Saints, and a novella with a Timeless Romance Anthology, Fall Collection.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Product Details

Series: A Tangerine Street Romance

Paperback: 290 pages

Publisher: Mirror Press (March 14, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1941145140

The Fortune Café

a novel in three parts

MIS-FORTUNE: Emma, a waitress at The Fortune Café will do anything to avoid opening a fortune cookie. Each fortune is rumored to somehow magically come true. Being a girl grounded in reality, she doesn’t have time for that kind of nonsense. But when trying to prevent a food fight at the café, Emma accidently cracks open a fortune cookie: “Look around, love is trying to catch you.” If there is one thing that Harrison, her former best friend in high school is good at, it’s catching her unaware.
LOVE, NOT LUCK: Lucy has always been lucky . . . until her parents meet her fiancé’s parents at a disastrous lunch at The Fortune Café, and she breaks her lucky jade necklace. Even worse, her fortune cookie reveals that “True love is for the brave, not the lucky.” How is she supposed to read that? She’s always considered it lucky how she met her fiancé. But after breaking her necklace, Lucy’s luck takes a dive. And when her fiancé dumps her, the only person she can turn to is Carter, the unluckiest guy she knows.
TAKEOUT: Stella is content in her new life of taking over her mom’s jewelry shop. No more boyfriend to worry about, and as long as she stays busy, she doesn’t have to dwell on her non-existent love life. When Evan comes into the shop with his young daughter, Stella is charmed. But she is reluctant to complicate her straightforward life, so when she reads her fortune after ordering takeout from The Fortune Café, she completely ignores it. After all, how can a fortune as vague as “Do the thing you fear and love is certain,” apply to her?

My Review:As with the other novellas I've read, these were just as good. I loved the connection of the cafe throughout the 3 novellas.Each love story held it's own spark. I really liked how the fortune cookies were supposed to be "magic". I wish that some of the fortune's I've gotten before would come true! What a fun idea! These particular writers happen to be some of my favorites and I have loved reading other novels written by them. I have to say that they all truly know how to write a great romance! It's so refreshing to know that when you pick up a book like this it will be clean and well written! There will be no surprises that you'll have to hide from your teenage daughter. In fact, these stories are one that you'll like sharing with your teen.

I couldn't pick my one favorite out of the three. They were all great stories, with good humor, cute characters, and just the right flavor of romance. Despite making your crave Chinese food, these stories will also make you crave more just the same. Thank goodness another is coming soon called Tangerine Street.

About the Authors:Julie Wright started her first book when she was fifteen.

She’s written over a dozen books since then, is a Whitney Award winner, and feels she’s finally getting the hang of this writing gig. She enjoys speaking to writing groups, youth groups, and schools. She loves reading, eating writing, hiking, playing on the beach with her kids, and snuggling with her husband to watch movies. Julie’s favorite thing to do is watch her husband make dinner. She hates mayonnaise, but has a healthy respect for ice cream.

Melanie Bennett Jacobsonis an avid reader, amateur cook, and champion shopper. She consumes astonishing amounts of chocolate, chick flicks, and romance novels. After meeting her husband online, she is now living happily married in Southern California with her growing family and a series of doomed houseplants. Melanie is a former English teacher and a sometime blogger who loves to laugh and make others laugh. In her down time (ha!), she writes romantic comedies and pines after beautiful shoes.

Heather B. Mooreis a USA Today bestselling author. She writes historical thrillers under Finding Sheba. Under Heather B. Moore she writes romance and women’s fiction. She’s the co-author of The Newport Ladies Book Club series. Other women’s novels include Heart of the Ocean, The Fortune Café, the Aliso Creek Series, and the Amazon bestselling Timeless Romance Anthology Series.
the pen name H.B. Moore, her latest is

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 4/30/14
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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According
to Rachel Marconi chocolate heals all wounds. That and throwing darts
at pictures of her ex-boyfriend. Burned by yet another bad relationship,
Rachel decides to reprioritize her life, putting her dream to compete
on a Food Network Challenge on the top of her list and dating at the
bottom crossed out in red sharpie. But what's a girl to do when a
certain sexy guy keeps asking her out?

Cue in Graydon Green, a former pro hockey player turned restaurant
owner. After a lot of persistent and humorous teasing, he finally
convinces Rachel to commit to a date. Just when things begin to warm up,
threatening notes directed at Rachel arrive. When her bakery is
vandalized, Graydon's protective streak goes on red alert. Is it her
obsessive ex-boyfriend stalking her? Or maybe a challenger trying to
sabotage the competition?

Either way, Rachel is definitely going to need more chocolate - perhaps drizzled over ice cream and devil's food cake.

My Review:Sweet Confections was full of sweet surprises! This is Danyelle Ferguson's first published novel. She has published other non-fiction writing, but I was blown away by this novel. It had a great combination of romance, humor and suspense; also we can't forget the yummy things that main character, Rachel and her friend in the Sweet Confections Bakery made every day. I was hungry the whole time I was reading the book. Also, an added bonus is that Danyelle has recipes for some of the things Rachel made.

There were so many things I loved in this story from the sassy Rachel, 28 and single who has just been burned in love, to the good looking and genuine leading man, Graydon who is a former pro-hockey player. I liked how long it took for these two to get together. It made the whole love story more realistic. I also loved the shocking twist at the end of the novel. The best part for me was the Food Competition at the Food Network. I love watching all shows on the Food Network so this was very exciting!

I'm so looking forward to more books in this series of Indulgence Row. I was happy to see that more books are in the works. If you enjoy a sweet romance with a taste of suspense and a fast paced storyline, Sweet Confections is the book for you!

Danyelle
Ferguson discovered her love for the written word in elementary school.
Her first article was published when she was in 6th grade. Since then,
she’s won several awards and her work has been published world-wide in
newspapers, magazines and books.

Danyelle
grew up surrounded by Pennsylvania’s beautiful Allegheny Mountains.
Then she lived for ten years among the majestic Wasatch Mountains. She
is currently experiencing mountain-withdrawal while living in Kansas
with her husband and family. She enjoys reading, writing, dancing and
singing in

the kitchen, and the occasional long bubble bath to relax from the everyday stress of being “Mommy.”

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Product Details

Title: A Year with Six Sisters' Stuff: 52 Menu Plans, Recipes, and Ideas to Bring Families Together

Authors: Sis Sisters' Stuff

Series: Six Sisters' Stuff (Book 2)

Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: Shadow Mountain (March 25, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1609078160

FTC, FYI: I received a review hard copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Description

Publication Date:March 25, 2014

"What's for dinner?" Three words every mom dreads.Don't
panic! The Six Sisters are here to help you answer that question. The
Sisters have gathered together more than 150 of their most popular
recipes for entrees, side dishes, and desserts and have combined them
into 52 stress-free menus of perfectly prepared three-course meals.Filled with delicious tried-and-true family favorites and oh-so-easy-to-make dishes, A Year with Six Sisters' Stuff
features all-new recipes using basic ingredients you probably already
have in your kitchen. Each menu is designed to make your dinner plans as
easy as possible—and with such wide variety and a photograph
accompanying every recipe in the book, you can easily mix and match
menus to create a year's worth of dinner ideas.In addition, the
Sisters share some of their favorite family dinner traditions and
crafts, as well as 52 dinner conversation starters, a list of pantry
staples, and, food storage plan for beginners.So what's for dinner? Whatever you'd like.

My Review: Can I tell you how much I love this cookbook? OK, I'm telling you now...I LOVE this cookbook!! There are so many things to love about this book and there are so many reasons to buy a copy for yourself.

-There are 52 menu plans included in this book. The beauty of this is that you can mix and match them and then have even more than 52 menu plans by the time you are done. -The layout of this cookbook is user friendly. My sister-in-law Lynne and I were looking through the book and we both said the layout is easy to see what ingredients are needed. Some times you have to search, but not here, it is in bold crisp print.-Recipes That Are Uncomplicated: The recipes included in the cookbook are easy to make. With women so busy these days we don't have time to throw together complicated dinners. We need fast and easy dinners to put together for our busy families.-Inclusion of Crafts, Traditions and More:These things were a happy bonus along with all of the fabulous recipes. Here are some of the exciting things you will find in the cookbook.

52 Family Dinner Conversation Starters

52 Weeks of Food Storage

The Six Sisters' Pantry Staples=They list all of the ingredients that you will need to make the recipes found in this book.

DIY Menu Board: They show you an easy way to make a menu board to use in your home. Very cute!!

The "Crazy Dinner" Tradition" = This is such a fun idea. Every family member gets $5.00 to spend in the grocery story. each member can buy whatever they want for dinner. Then everyone heads home, fixes what they purchased, and then set a candlelit table and eats the meal together. I can't wait to try this with my family.

Thankful Tablecloth

Family Pumpkin Walk

Dinner on the Doorstep

DIY AT-Home Family Restaurant

-My Favorite Recipes:I needed to include in this review some of my favorite recipes that I tried or want to try. Here are just some of them without including every recipe found in this book. ;)

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Cheesy Artichoke Bread

Brown Sugar and Bacon Green Beans

Overnight Caramel French Toast

Tomato Tortellini Soup

Fresh Lime Salsa

No-Bake Peanut Butter Corn Flake Bars

Almond Joy Cookies

Caesar Salad Supreme

Hershey's Cream Cheese Brownies

Well if I haven't convinced you yet that you need this cookbook, besides inviting you over for dinner some time, then you must not enjoy eating good food. As I said at the beginning of my review, I LOVE this book and I will be using it often!Here is where you can purchase this book: Amazon and Deseret Book.

In February 2011, we started our blog SixSistersStuff.com. After years
of living close to one another, we were being pulled in many different
directions- one sister moved to the West coast, another sister followed
her husband to medical school, one moved away to college, and another
sister had just lost a baby. We needed each other now more than ever and
we used our blog as a way to stay in touch. We are all busy, whether
it’s with our kids, jobs, school, husbands, community involvement, or
something else eating up our time, so all the recipes and projects you
will find on this blog are quick and easy! Our recipes are family
favorites that use ingredients that can commonly be found in your pantry
and our crafts and home decor projects can be made with little or no
money. We don’t claim to be amazing chefs- we just know the importance
of feeding your family a home-cooked meal and sitting down to eat it
together. Our mom and dad taught us so many great values and we are
thankful that they instilled the importance of family time in our lives.
Even the busiest of people can make the food and project ideas we
share, which will give you even more time to spend with your family and
loved ones.

Product Details

FTC-FYI: I was received a review ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Description:

Drew Westfall wants nothing more than to forget what he had to do in the name of "smart" business. Cutting off all ties with his parents—including handing over the entire contents of his trust fund to a charity—he takes off for Bridger, Colorado where his best friend has an extra room for him. It doesn't take long for him to realize that his business degree won’t do him much good in a town as small as Bridger, but he's broke and has nowhere else to go.
Eden Torresi has every reason to wallow. Not only did she have to sell her house to pay for her mother’s medical expenses, but she also had to drop out of school and is in a relationship with a guy unwilling to commit. But Eden isn't the wallowing type. Instead, she chooses to spend most of her time taking care of the seniors at Silver Linings Assisted Living. When she learns that her boyfriend's new roommate is down on his luck, her caring nature makes her want to reach out to him and offer what help she can. But the more time they spend together, the more complicated things get, especially when the seniors of Silver Linings decide to play matchmaker.

My ReviewI just loved this story! Both of the main characters are so likable. Eden is such a kind and giving person, it's no wonder Drew is attracted to her. I also loved how Home Matters, the first book in the Ripple Effect Romance Series) connects with this second book. Readers met Drew briefly at the end of the first novella. We also get to see Olivia and Pete. I hope that the rest of the series also connects characters the same way.

Even with how much I love Eden and Drew, the residents at the senior living center made me smile so much! They brought so much humor to this story. I love their shenanigans as they work together to bring the main characters together. There are also many tender moments in this story between Eden and her mother who is dying from cancer. Eden sacrifices so much so she can spend as much time with her Mom as possible.

Kaylee Baldwin has written a sweet love story, with great humor woven in-between.She knows how to write a clean romance with a memorable story. So far I'm loving the Ripple Effect Romance Novella Series. I know that there will be more great stories ahead.

Meet Author Kaylee BaldwinWhen Kaylee Baldwin isn’t writing, she’s usually chasing after her four children, checking her email, trying to get motivated to train for that race she shouldn’t have signed up for, hanging out with her pretty awesome husband, and reading whatever good book she can find. She graduated from Arizona State with degree in English Lit. Her published books are Meg’s Melody, Six Days of Christmas (part of the All I Want collection) and Silver Linings.

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Note: Added 7-22-2014...I am suspending any reviews from new authors for a few months. I'll still be open to reviews from authors I've reviewed for previously. I am back logged with reviews and my new school year is starting soon. I will show here on the blog when I'll be accepting new review requests.

I am accepting books for review from authors and publishers. I will read most genres, but I prefer clean romances. I will review books, hold contests and interview authors; just explain in your e-mail about the particulars . Please contact me here at WhyNotBecauseISaidSo@gmail.com

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